John Tanton

John Tanton M.D. is "publisher of The Social Contract ( designated as a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center ) and served as editor for its first 8 years. He is a retired eye surgeon whose boyhood on a farm made him into an ardent conservationist and advocate for the environment. His conviction that continued human population growth was a large part of the conservation problem led him to chair the National Sierra Club Population Committee (1971-74), and to the national board of Zero Population Growth (1973-78, including a term as president, 1975-77).

In 1979, Tanton shifted his focus towards fighting immigration to reduce the U.S. population, and organized the anti-immigrant Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) based in Washington, D.C. Since then, Tanton has formed, funded, or otherwise been affiliated with many prominent anti-immigration organizations, in what has been termed the John Tanton Network.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that Tanton has long been linked to racist ideas-- "fretting about the "educability" of Latinos, warning of whites being out-bred by others, and publishing a number of white nationalist authors"-- and is also closely affiliated with a number of white supremacist organizations such as the Pioneer Fund.

Publications
He is co-author with Wayne Lutton of The Immigration Invasion, and has written numerous editorials and opinion pieces including 'End of the Migration Epoch'."


 * Founding Member, Garrett Hardin Society

Institutional Affiliations
Little Traverse Conservancy: Co-organizer, Board, and Former President, 1972-1988 Source
 * NumbersUSA: Founder, 1996
 * ProEnglish: Founder, Former Chairman, and Board, 1993-present
 * Social Contract Press: Founder, Former Editor, and Publisher, 1990-present
 * E Pluribus Unum: Co-organizer, 1992
 * Emergency Committee on Puerto Rican Statehood and the Status of English in the United States: Co-organizer, 1990
 * American Alliance for Rights and Responsibilities: Co-founder, 1989
 * Center for Immigration Studies: Founder, 1985
 * U.S. English: Co-founder and Chairman, 1982-1988
 * U.S. Inc.]]: Founder and Chairman, 1982-present
 * Population-Environment Balance: Former board member, 1980-1990
 * Federation for American Immigration Reform: Co-founder, Former Chairman and board member, 1979-present
 * Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Advisory Commission: Member, 1978-1980
 * Zero Population Growth: National President, 1975-1977
 * Zero Population Growth Immigration Study Committee: Chairman, 1973-1975
 * Zero Population Growth National Executive Committee: Member, 1973-1978
 * Little Traverse Group: Co-organizer, Executive Committee Member, and Former President, 1972-1988
 * 11th Congressional District League of Conservation Voters: Organizer, 1970-1974
 * National Long-range Planning Committee of Sierra Club: Member, 1970-1973
 * Mackinac Chapter Population Committee of Sierra Club: Organizer and Chairman, 1969-1971
 * Petoskey Regional Group of Sierra Club: Organizer and Chairman, 1970-1972
 * Hartwick Pines Natural History Association: Organizer and President, 1969-1972
 * Petoskey Regional Audubon Society: Co-organizer and President, 1967, 1969
 * Great Lakes Public Affairs Committee of Planned Parenthood: Chairman, 1970-1971
 * Northern Michigan Planned Parenthood Association: Organizer and President, 1965-1971
 * Bear River Development Commission: Organizer and Chairman, 1965-1972
 * Michigan Natural Areas Council: Secretary, 1962-1963

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * eugenics
 * population control
 * Social Contract Press
 * U.S. English
 * Federation for American Immigration Reform